A revolutionary product for the next generation of swimmers developed by Insider Made In Scotland Award winner Michael Harkins is set to hit the market early in 2019.

Turtle Pack is a swimming aid that sits on a child's back and was created by Livingston-based Harkins who won the Young Innovator of the Year Award at the 2017 Awards.

Harkins launched and successfully met his KickStarter fundraising target last month where 147 backers pledged a total of more than £10,000 to help bring the project to life.

The 25-year old is also shortlisted for the Baldwins KickStart Young Entrepreneur Awards where £20,000 is up for grabs.

He will present to around 400 people at Edgbaston Cricket Ground on 15 November- with the winner receiving £10,000 in cash and £10,000 worth of mentoring and accountancy advice.

Runners-up will receive £5,000 worth of mentoring and accounting advice – so it means that Harkins will receive at least this level of support.

His invention was inspired by ten years spent as a swimming instructor after taking charge of swimming lessons for Livingston and District Dolphins Swimming Club.

Between 2011 and 2014 he transformed the club’s fortunes by boosting membership from 50 to 250 swimmers, and from one member of staff to 20, and the club won the Scottish Swimming School of the Year award in 2014.

The back pack product means that children swim at the angle they would when swimming freely while wearing the buoyancy aid.

As the child's swimming ability improves segments of the 'turtle shell' can be removed to reduce the buoyancy thus fitting the product to the child's growing confidence and coordination.

Harkins said: “The key to attracting children to swim is to make sure that they have fun, and this is a product that does away with arm bands and floats to allow children to move freely through water whilst they’re learning to swim.

“It’s been developed carefully with parents and swimming instructors, and the time I’ve taken to carefully develop the product has paid off after gaining international interest in the product from retailers and distributors.

“The plan between now and the New Year is to lay the foundations ready for me to fully launch the product online in the New Year.

“The extra investment from Baldwins will contribute to helping me to recruit two people in business development and marketing roles before we go live with the product.

“It’s vital that people know they can buy the product from the word go, so we can grow straight away and at the right pace.”

David Baldwin, director at Baldwins, is one of the judges that shortlisted Michael’s business idea and will be advising him over the coming months.

He said: “Michael has identified a gap in the market and has a patent on the product, so his business has potential to make a splash right across the country, and who knows, even the world.

“The nature of the product means any child with confidence issues can learn to swim in the water, which in the long-term, means more people than ever will be swimming in the UK.

“2019 will be Michael’s first year as a fully-fledged businessman, and I’m looking forward to helping him to grow his business.”